Chef Assaf Granit’s co-owned MachneYuda Group runs six renowned restaurants in Jerusalem, one in Tel Aviv, three in London, and two in Paris.

Israeli chef Assaf Granit’s Shabour restaurant in Paris received a coveted Michelin star on January 18.

The Michelin Guide calls the counter dining establishment “a simple restaurant; one of our most delightful places.”

The guide praised the Jerusalemite chef for “his trademark features (unbridled atmosphere, rough and ready decoration) and of course creative cuisine with Mediterranean influences, whose freshness gives it wings. Taste his signature dish, haminados egg infused with black tea, covered in a sesame foam with a caper jus, and garnished with a spoonful of caviar. Already a classic!”

Granit’s co-owned MachneYuda Group – named for Jerusalem’s famous Machane Yehuda Market — runs six establishments in Jerusalem, one in Tel Aviv, three in London, and two in Paris.

In 2017, Time Out London gave its “Best Restaurant in London” award to MachneYuda’s The Barbary. In 2015, The Guardian chose MachneYuda’s Palomar as “Best UK Restaurant of the Year.”

Even though eateries across the world are closed or curtailed during the pandemic, the Michelin Guide announced that to support the industry, it would continue awarding stars to outstanding restaurants.

Shabour, which has been closed since October, currently offers Paris residents a “Shabour experience at home” option for an Israeli-style meal. The website promises “new creations, flavors and inspirations” for the reopening after the pandemic.

Granit also co-runs the ACT Innovation Hub, “a platform connecting the culinary world with technology, enabling disruptive food-related businesses to make the transition from a technology company to a food company.”

About the Author:

Abigail Klein Leichman is a writer and associate editor at ISRAEL21c. Prior to moving to Israel in 2007, she was a specialty writer and copy editor at a major daily newspaper in New Jersey and has freelanced for a variety of newspapers and periodicals since 1984.